Throughout the many decades Minerva had known Albus Dumbledore, the man had constantly and vehemently denied having any political ambitions or aspirations. It was something many, including herself, found hard to believe - especially when faced with the numerous titles that littered his letterhead. Some called it humility, others called it delusion. Minerva had her own thoughts about how Albus had amassed political power yet thoroughly mismanaged it but withheld judgement out of respect for her late friend.

Then comes the letter. It had arrived quietly and inconspicuously via muggle post covered in international postage stamps. It would have simply been shuffled away under the numerous other correspondences had it not been addressed to a dead man. Anyone active in the Wizarding World would have known that Albus Dumbledore had been dead for seven years, with the last batch of students who would have had him as headmaster currently sitting their final exams.

What she notices first is the wand. A stick of dark wood that lacked any carvings and would have been plain if not for branching patterns along its length that resembled lichtenberg scars. Even now, it still crackles lightly with the thunder and lightning of its master. Her heart drops to her stomach. There is only one person it could belong to.

She remembers Nagi Springfield as a rowdy boy with quite literally explosive potential and might as well have been the fifth member of the Marauders. He was also unfortunately a child caught in the middle of the First Wizarding War and the conflicts between Wizards and Magi. Somehow, the boy had managed to find his way to the top of the Dark Lord's hit list (for reasons that Albus never disclosed even to her) and the Order had done everything it could to send him to safety.

Minerva considers herself fairly well informed about the Magi World and their Other World yet didn't know about the Great War of the Mundus Magicus 13 years ago when Nagi Springfield had literally come storming in, crackling with thunder and lightning, demanding that his experience fighting in said war made him a better protector for the son of his old friend (and honorary uncle) than the boy's current abusive relatives.

(And though she still admires Albus's ability to remain composed no matter the situation, she had hated how calmly he had dismantled Nagi's petition for custody of Harry Potter with the simple question of "would you be able to protect him from both his enemies and yours as well?")

She didn't know until reading the letter that Nagi Springfield had made a name for himself as the Thousand Master during said war and was considered a hero and saviour of that world (dear Merlin, he would have only been a teenager at the time - for all the power that magic granted them, why is it that they always have children fighting their battles?). She didn't know that Nagi Springfield had been missing and presumed dead for the past 11 years.

The letter itself is from one Negi Springfield who claims to be Nagi's son. It is surprisingly well worded, considering that the author claims to have just turned 11, but Minerva can feel the desperation in each sentence. How the boy had simply shown an interest in learning Wizardry and was met with immediate resistance from the Senate of the Magi Other World. She remembers how quickly the magi officials had dropped any correspondence about extracting a boy from a war zone when they heard that Nagi had begun to learn Wizardry during the many months of needless bureaucracy. The magi would be that disgustingly petty.

Negi Springfield's letter had come with an invitation to meet in Kyoto with a muggle plane ticket enclosed. Said ticket would become very useful as all international portkeys to Japan were temporarily unavailable due to "sudden unexplainable magical interference." It could have been a coincidence in timing but Minerva has seen how petty governments can get when it comes to controlling their child figureheads. A suspicion that didn't seem so far fetched when the letter had explained that the boy was only making direct contact because the Senate had blocked all other means.

Now she understands why Albus used his influence so sparingly yet bluntly like a sledgehammer on porcelain-like political situations. It is only a single letter and yet here she is making the brash decision to travel halfway around the world. If only she had an iota of Albus's influence, she would have used every drop of it to spare this poor boy from this political crossfire. Unfortunately, Albus Dumbledore she is not and all she could do is hope that the archaic laws and treaties she had armed herself with would suffice. This time, she has the chance to do something rather than unwillingly concede to leaving a child in the dubious care of horrible muggles.

--

The meeting place is a seemingly normal western style cafe, oddly out of place surrounded by more traditional Japanese buildings. The cafe is filled with patrons going about their normal mundane business but if they weren't all magi in disguise, Minerva would eat the Sorting Hat.

She feels the eyes discreetly watching her like gossiping children in the Great Hall as she walks in with her head held high to the table with two men dressed in muggle suits speaking in tense Japanese, one in his early fifties with black hair and the other in his early thirties with pale hair and long bangs, and a young boy sitting between them. This little boy looked so eerily like Nagi yet nothing at all, much like the father-son resemblance of another unfortunate orphan. He shares the same bright auburn hair yet it is neatly tied back instead of being left loose in a mess of spikes. Those same intense brown eyes hide behind a pair of glasses and beneath a brow wrinkled with worry. Nagi Springfield certainly wouldn't have looked so quietly cowed while being talked over by the adults that sandwiched him.

Ignoring the arguing men entirely, Minerva approaches the boy. The men stop but she pays them no regard.

"Hello, I am Professor Minerva McGonagall." she says in English with a softer tone reserved for muggleborns she had found in less than ideal housing circumstances. "Would you be Negi Springfield?"

"Yes, Professor. Thank you for coming all this way." The boy says. "Please, take a seat. Was Professor Dumbledore unavailable?"

Minerva takes the last open chair on the small table opposite of Negi. She doesn't miss how the boy is sitting closer black haired man. "Professor Dumbledore unfortunately passed away several years ago. However, I will be able to help you in any way he could have." When she sees the boy wilt, she adds, "I knew your father. I was one of his tutors during his stay in the Wizarding World and likely would have been his Head of House at Hogwarts had he continued his studies." There is absolutely no doubt Nagi would have been sorted into Gryffindor had he been allowed to stay.

The boy immediately perks up at the mention of his late father. He asks lightly, "Did father drop out of there as well?"

She squashes down her old disgust with Magi education. It's a surprise that there aren't more 'dropouts' with how magi expect children under 10 to memorise lengthy Latin phrases along with complex elemental magic theory. "I wouldn't have let him. There had been...other extenuating circumstances at the time but I would be happy to talk more about him at a later date."

"I would love that." The boy says with a bright smile.

"It's lovely that you were able to join us, Professor," The pale-haired man says in Latin. "I've heard that Wizards have had some recent trouble with their transportation system. It's remarkable that you were able to make it despite that."

Both Negi and the other man glare at him, the latter like he was scolding a child and the former with disdain identical to the one many of her former students and colleagues for Dolores Umbridge. The man even spoke with the same condescending tone and air of self importance as the former Senior Undersecretary (Minerva will never acknowledge that horrid woman as a teacher).

"It is remarkable as well that you would know of that with how your lot spend more time in that other place than here." Minerva replies tersely. Her Latin isn't as polished as she would like it to be, but she considers herself fluent enough to not be excluded from the conversation as this man intended. "Though you have yet to introduce yourself."

The man smirks, completely unfazed. "Pardon the rudeness, Professor. I am Kurt Godel and our other esteemed companion is Eishun Konoe. We also knew young Negi's father."

No titles, no further explanation on who they are other than matching Minerva's own connection to the boy. She has no doubt that those names carried heavy weight in the magi community and are likely assumed knowledge that Godel knew she was lacking. So that is his game then.

Minerva turns to the other man. "Eishun? By any chance are you the same Eishun Nagi participated with in that Japanese duelling competition? His overwhelming victory was his favourite thing to share around meal times." And there had been many concerns as to why a child of 10 had been allowed to participate in such a competition when most wizarding duelling competitions have a minimum age of 14.

Konoe chucked. "Ah, the Mahora Martial Arts Tournament - that brings back memories. That was the day that red-haired devil barreled into my life." His Latin is slow and heavily accented but his overall fluency is better than Minerva's. He then turns to Negi. "I heard you made quite the impression at last year's tournament."

Negi blushes and bows his head. "It was only second place. Not as well as father did."

"Second place to Al, who I heard gave you something much more valuable."

"Yes." The boy says wistfully, as he unconsciously touches his forearm.

"By Al do you mean Albireo Imma?" Minerva asks.

"I'm surprised you know him," Konoe says. "He was quite the recluse in our community before Nagi dragged him into the spotlight."

"He was Albus's magi contact. I believe Albus was the one to introduce Mr Imma to a young Nagi." Or more precisely, Albus had likely burned through many valuable favours to have that mysterious magi whisk the boy away to 'safety' which she now knows was another battlefield.

(Would it have been better if the Order had kept Nagi? She knows in hindsight that the boy would have lost all his wizarding guardians a handful of months afterwards with James and Lily dead, Pettigrew "dead", Sirius accused of murder, and Remus in an extremely fragile mental state. But Nagi had been close with the infant Harry, maybe the insistence to keep them together would have led to both of them being raised in a better household.)

(She knows Nagi had magi family but where were they when the boy had been targeted by a Dark Lord?)

"Would you like to order something, Professor?" Godel coolly interjects. "The menu contains many local delicacies that would be a shame not to sample while we reminisce on old friends and happier days. The boring formal matters can be saved for another time in a more appropriate setting."

Minerva narrows her eyes. She is far too old and experienced to mistake this attempted disengagement as a victory. Here in this seemingly casual setting, they all stood on equal ground with respect for age being the only hierarchy between them, especially with Godel's purposeful omission of any of their titles. However, she knows all too well that monumental political decisions can happen over simple tea and coffee. There is more flexibility and room for negotiation compared to official meetings but once these matters enter formal government chambers...

(She remembers 15 year old Harry Potter being tried as a criminal for reasonably acting in self defence. She remembers being powerless to do anything against the sham while Albus tested the limits of his sabotaged reputation to have the boy acquitted.)

She looks across to Negi, clear relief on his face and too young to realise that winning this battle didn't mean the end of the war. All this boy wants is to learn more about his deceased father, to learn more about the other world of magic, and is being punished for stumbling into a conflict he couldn't have known about.

"Well, this isn't all casual chit-chat." Minerva pulls out a wax sealed parchment letter from her sleeve and hands it to Negi. "The late Albus Dumbledore was previously Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and had offered your father a place when he expressed interest in our arts. Now I, as the current Headmistress, offer you the same."

The boy immediately opens it, his expression brightening as he mouths the familiar words of the acceptance letter. "Hogwarts...the oldest magic school in Britain..." he mutters at the end with a wide smile.

"Another school?" Godel scoffs. "You may not be aware, professor, but young Negi here is already a graduate of Meridiana with highest honours and is already on his journeyman's task to become a Magister Magi. He holds tenure at Mahora Academy known to be on the cutting edge of both the magical and the mundane. Ariadne Academy frequently invites him to host guest lectures. And now you want to reduce him to a student alongside your ill-gotten foundlings to learn your backwards 'magic'."

Negi snaps to Godel with a murderous intent that does not belong on a child. "The Senate denies my requested books from the Ariadne Library due to being an unauthorised import to the Mundus Vetus." Venom and frustration laces each of the boy's words yet his voice remains steady. "The Senate sends me everywhere but Ariadne while I'm on the Mundus Magicus and has been intercepting all my correspondence with Headmistress Seras. The Senate used some bollocks treaty to send armed guards to Mahora's Library Island and confiscate all the Wizardry references."

"And Headmaster Konoemon has asked me to inform you that those guards are beginning to overstay their welcome," Konoe added, his face set in a deep frown. "It's as if they're waiting for someone to return."

Godel, however, ignores both their scathing remarks. He turns to Negi with impeccable calm. "A full course at Hogwarts takes seven years, as I'm sure Professor McGonagall can confirm. Of course, that is for a child with no magical training at all and I'm certain that you with your experience and brilliance can whittle that down to a couple years, if not several months."

A chill crawls down Minerva's spine as she resists the primal urge to claw at or hex this damned man. Not even Umbridge after a whole year of forced politeness as that toad had attempted to run Hogwarts into the ground could incite the utter contempt Godel inspired with only a handful of words. "What are you trying to imply, Mr Godel?"

"No implications at all, Professor," Godel says a little too brightly. "I'm just reminding young Negi that time is a valuable resource. How long did Princess Poyo say we have left, nine years and six months? Oh, but that was nearly a year ago, so that would make it eight years and six months now, though likely less than that. Such precious little time left and you want to play school with children."

"Kurt." Konoe says warningly, his hand reaching towards his side despite nothing being there.

"We have more time than that now," Negi says, yet his voice holds no confidence and the letter crumples in his knuckle tight grip. "Because of Asuna we can - for the project and...and to find - find..."

Godel's smirk widens. "You have many plans, Negi, and so many people relying on you. Do you really have time for such a frivolous sabbatical?"

The boy looks like he's on the brink of hyperventilating and not a single adult on the table reaches out to comfort him.

It is only due the patience from her long teaching career that Minerva doesn't pounce on Godel, with magic or otherwise. "Have you no shame? What joy does it bring you to torment a mere child?"

Godel turns that infuriating hexable grin onto her. "I'm simply reminding young Negi of the reality of the situation and if you know anything about who he is or what he has accomplished, he's more than just a mere child."

Minerva bites back a scowl. Godel was unfortunately correct, there is so much she doesn't know regarding Negi Springfield and the magi world. So much she can't know because of the feud between wizards and magi. But even with what little she could glean thus far, this 'project' and its time limit is undoubtedly something of incredible importance - to Negi at the very least with how Godel uses it as leverage against him.

But Harry Potter due to being the Boy-Who-Lived and his many adventures at Hogwarts afterwards had once been considered more than a 'mere child'. That didn't mean he should be denied a proper childhood.

Godel then pulls a letter from his blazer and places it in front of Negi. "Coincidentally, I also have something for you. Considering your heritage and your extensive work on the Mundus Magicus as well as re-establishing your probationary pactio with Princess Theodora, it's only natural that you be naturalised as a citizen of the Mundus Magicus. One of the few unanimous motions I've seen in the Senate - though there is still much deliberation of how much you'll receive of your mother's titles."

Negi doesn't reach for the letter, instead staring at it blankly. "Mother's...?"

Konoe leaps to his feet, expression twisted with cold fury as he draws a sword to which Godel responds by drawing his own. Minerva had seen neither weapon on either person. They begin exchanging rapid Japanese that she had no hopes of keeping up with without a translation charm. None of the other patrons seemed perturbed by the sudden weaponry, though she can feel the tensions rising between either side of the cafe as these 'ordinary folk' begin reaching for their sleeves and waists. Negi has his head bowed, quietly trembling. She sees a tear roll down his face.

"That's enough!" Minerva bellows with all the authority of a teacher stopping a petty hallway fight. With a flick of her wand, she wordlessly transfigures both their swords into rubber chickens. Both men stand in stunned silence as they stare at their former weapons. "I may not know what positions you hold, but I do know that two grown men should know better than to act like that in front of a child."

She wants so desperately to aparate away and to take Negi with her, away from whatever tangled mess the poor child has found himself in. But that would likely cause an even bigger scandal not worth dragging the boy into.

Minerva turns to Negi. "As per the Magical Rights of Old World Children, which the Megalo Mesembria Senate is a party to, every child who shows an aptitude for Wizardry has the right to a formal education, no matter their prior magical background or how long it takes for them to accept or any resistance from their parents or guardians." She then softens her tone. "Hogwarts' doors will always be open to you, dear boy."

Negi looks up at her with wide watery eyes, with a vulnerability she had never seen in his father but had seen all too often in mistreated muggleborns. She remembers why they had Hagrid deliver Harry's letter instead of her. If she felt the urge to whisk away a child she barely knows, how could she have restrained herself in front of James and Lily's poor boy?

Instead she gives him a gentle smile. "I will remain in the country until your response."

Minerva hears the scrape of chairs and immediately charms the floor to be more slippery. It is pathetic how many cries of surprise and crashes she hears as she sweeps out of the cafe.

--

Gryffindor's most recognisable trait is courage. From those being less than generous, they would say it is recklessness. From those being even less so, they would say it is idiocy. Overall, it is the urge to act, to take the first leap where others would hesitate. To dive headfirst regardless of the consequences and to remain stubbornly rooted in one's ideals.

In other words, had the Hatstall gone the other way and Minerva had been found to be more Ravenclaw, maybe she would have thought a little harder about her preparation such as bringing the photo album containing photos of Nagi Springfield for his son or more practical matters such as arranging accommodations and bringing a language draught so that she could understand Japanese.

She generally considers herself a rational person, many have called her the most level-headed Gryffindor in the past century. However, there were other circumstances that led to her slip of judgement. The urgency in the letter, the disruption with the international portkeys, the guilt of not being able to spare another child from being a pawn in grander schemes -

(She still refuses to acknowledge Albus's portrait after all these years. She doesn't care what Albus's reasons were, in the end he had groomed Harry Potter to sacrifice himself and her ignorance made her complicit in his actions)

So no, she is not a Ravenclaw and she proudly and boldly embodies her house traits. She will deal with the situation she has thrown herself in.

After her satisfyingly dramatic exit from the magi cafe, Minerva finds an adequately secluded alley to morph into her cat form. Cats require significantly less to function compared to humans and it also saved her the hassle of trying to find accommodations last minute. More importantly, she could better monitor Negi's well-being without being detected by the magi.

She spies on them from an overhanging branch where she can still hear their conversations. She may not understand what they are saying but she can always apply a translation charm when she reviews the memories in a pensive.

Both Godel and Konoe are preoccupied with their newly transfigured weapons. Konoe gives an experimental swing of his rubber chicken only for it to give a pathetic squeak. Several other magi approach the men but none of their efforts manage to restore the chickens to their former state. Minerva finds herself disappointed as she watches them fumble, a fourth year could easily revert the chickens back into swords yet here are a dozen odd adults who don't even know where to start.

Then again, transfiguration is not a branch of magic that magi study. She remembers young Nagi staring in awe of basic transfiguration work, admitting that while he didn't know the theory, that was unlike anything magi were capable of doing. He hadn't been particularly good at it, he had excelled in offensive curses and elemental spells that more closely resembled magecraft and somehow managed to multiply their power output by tenfold, but Lily had fondly reported that the transfiguration texts were the only ones he bothered to read, going so far as to take the books with him to bed.

Her tail flicks in interest when Negi rises and taps the end of a bandaged-wrapped staff twice his height to Konoe's sword. It could be coincidence but he holds his staff in a basic transfiguration grip, albeit altered for a longer and thicker medium. He begins incanting in Latin in typical magi fashion, calling upon the spirits of transfiguration to restore the object to its former form, yet also uses clumsy wizard wand motions. No such spirits exist, with wizardry relying on one's own willpower combined with their inherit magic, but to her surprise, the chicken's neck grows to the length of the blade while the body becomes squat like the hilt, the wings even extend in imitation of a cross guard.

Negi bows his head in disappointment but Minerva can't help but be impressed. He did more than any of the other magi in the room and went well beyond what could be expected of an untrained wizard of his age.

The boy attempts his incantation another three times and Konoe's sword can be called a sword once again, though it was still slightly yellow. Negi still looks disappointed in himself but Konoe gives him some words of reassurance.

Godel says something in a goading tone which causes Negi to snap up and glare at him in defiance. He shouts a shorter version of his incantation with more force than before and Godel's sword is restored to the same state as Konoe's but with the chicken head remaining at the hilt.

Even though the boy is displeased with it, his work is outstanding. Minerva could only imagine what he would be capable of with the proper spells and training.

Minerva also catches Godel turn away to hide a small smile of pride.

--

Thankfully, Godel doesn't appear to be the boy's main guardian, that infuriating man sweeping off as soon as his weapon was restored to a sword-like shape. However, it doesn't appear that Konoe is either. He escorts the boy to a modern-looking muggle house on the outskirts of the city, blocky and angular with a dome on the roof that hints it might have an observatory or large telescope. While not in a state of disrepair, there is clear neglect as the front is overgrown with shrubbery and small trees from the nearby forest and the walls are weathered with chips and cracks. Negi and Konoe exchange goodbyes at the door before the boy is left alone.

Minerva lurks past the windows, following Negi as he makes his way through the house. It becomes obvious that he's the only one living there. It's better than finding out that the boy had been living out a cupboard underneath the stairs but she doesn't think this is much better. She tries to entertain the small hope that someone else would be coming home later in the night to prove that the child isn't left completely unsupervised but she knows too much about magi and their tendency to treat children more like mini-adults with all the responsibilities that come with that for thought to last long.

She still remembers how 10 year old Nagi, as much as he was a carefree rascal, held himself with more maturity than adults twice his age. She remembers his surprised when they refused to let him fight in their war despite the clear advantage having the explosive magic of a magi would give, even from a self-proclaimed dropout (the thought of how badly magi education ruined such a brilliant child's ability to see his own potential still has her seething in rage).

(She hadn't thought that Albus, in the time between Voldemort's first coming and his second, would change so drastically on his stance of having children fight their wars. He must have known about the Thousand Master, maybe unknowingly creating a child war hero made it easier for him to justify to himself to knowingly create a second one. But she can barely see herself as better. The Battle of Hogwarts had the school defending itself with children it was supposed to protect and she was the Head Teacher who allowed it.)

She finds a convenient and sturdy branch leading up to the window of what looked to be the master bedroom. A large bed sits in the middle with a large suitcase set on top of it, filled mostly with child sized suits - she hopes that means this is only a temporary arrangement. However, a coffee table which looks to have been dragged in from another part of the house and laden with more paperwork than her own desk back at Hogwarts seems to suggest otherwise.

Negi enters soon after. He places the two letters, one opened and the other still left sealed, on the bedside table then immediately gets to work. Minerva watches in morbid fascination as the boy whittles away at his paperwork, like a student studying for his final exams. No, he lacks that frantic energy and eagerness to have it behind him. It's more like watching an overworked ministry official from an understaffed department who knows that the paperwork would only grow no matter how much he finishes - or more precisely, her reminds her of Hermione Granger who basically lives at her desk these days, knowing that all this tedious bureaucracy would be worth the change that it brings. It's one thing to see a woman in her twenties to be such a workaholic, but to see the same thing in a boy not even in his teens is disturbing. Especially when there isn't a red-haired significant other to ensure that he's eating and sleeping.

Minerva doesn't realise she had dozed off while watching the boy until she's startled awake by the click of a window opening and a voice cooing "here, kitty-kitty." She hisses out of instinct before she can stop herself but Negi just smiles and leaves a plate of canned tuna on the window sill. "I've noticed you've been there for a while. Feel free to help yourself." Then he turns back to continue working.

She waits until the boy leaves the room again to jump over and help herself to the meal. He returns just as she licks the plate clean, looking absolutely delighted. She purrs in approval seeing that he is dressed for bed.

She lets the boy pet her before he reaches over to close the window behind her but leaves it slightly ajar. "So you're free to come and go as you please." He says with a small lonely smile.

They fall into a routine over the next three days - the boy doing a man's job while Minerva observes. She doesn't enter further than the window sill. Even as a cat, she has to maintain some professionalism. But that doesn't squash the urge to comfort the boy, to ease his restless energy by resting on his lap. However, she does meow loudly so as to enforce mealtimes.

Occasionally, she scouts the perimeter of the house to stretch her legs. She knows Negi gets business calls by both muggle and magical means but never once does someone come to visit him.

Every night, before sleeping, Negi sits on the bed and weighs both letters in each hand. "Another crossroads," she heard him mutter one night. "Father's path or Mother's... no, it's like the Governor said," he looks up at his desk, "do I have time to spare for something so selfish..."

Next time Minerva crosses paths with Godel, cat form or no, she is going to claw his tongue out.

On the third night, Negi nervously pulls out a laptop and makes a video call. It rings several times and he is about to cancel it before it is answered. On the other side is a brown-haired teen girl with glasses. Though they speak in Japanese, and the girl sounds like she's scolding Negi half the time, it is obvious that he's asking her for advice. The call ends with a smile, a genuine one, and the boy looks like a burden has been taken off his shoulders. He sleeps peacefully that night.

"Good morning, Professor," Negi greets her the next morning. In his hand in a battered yet familiar notebook - one where Nagi had written all his notes on animagi. "I have my answer for you."